M Holdings Securities Inc. reduced its stake in Duke Energy Corp (NYSE:DUK) by 17.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,369 shares during the period. Duke Energy accounts for approximately 1.0% of M Holdings Securities Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. M Holdings Securities Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,349,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 69.3% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 4,302,017 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $361,843,000 after purchasing an additional 1,760,350 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 735.4% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,660,141 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $139,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461,422 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 259.9% in the second quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 830,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $69,425,000 after purchasing an additional 599,761 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 45,499,220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,826,940,000 after purchasing an additional 424,604 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,957,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

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Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. SunTrust Banks set a $82.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $91.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.27.

Shares of Duke Energy Corp (NYSE DUK) opened at $77.00 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $53,536.09, a PE ratio of 17.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.68. Duke Energy Corp has a one year low of $72.93 and a one year high of $91.80.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The utilities provider reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $5.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 12.95% and a return on equity of 7.72%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.81 earnings per share. equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Corp will post 4.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.62%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 81.65%.

In other Duke Energy news, COO Dhiaa M. Jamil sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.08, for a total transaction of $44,540.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,115 shares in the company, valued at $3,038,964.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

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Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation (Duke Energy) is an energy company. The Company operates through three segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure; Gas Utilities and Infrastructure, and Commercial Renewables. The Company operates in the United States through its direct and indirect subsidiaries. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment provides retail electric service through the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity to approximately 7.5 million customers within the Southeast and Midwest regions of the United States.

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